Whenever rainfall was delayed in old Kuwait, adult Kuwaitis usually held the Istisqa prayer in various mosques, while young girls used to sing a traditional song known as 'Um Al-Ghaith' ( Mother of the Rain), whose lyrics pleaded the mother of rain to make the rain fall, wet the shepherds' clothes and make grass grow for sheep to graze.
Kuwait heritage researcher Hussein Al-Qattan yesterday told KUNA that Um Al-Ghaith was one the girls' seasonal games played before the rainy season. He added that girls usually made a doll of scrap wood and old clothes and carried it around from door to door while singing the Um Al-Ghaith song. Qattan added that each of the houses the girls passed used to give them a gift of bread, rice or sometimes money, if the tenants were rich enough.
Speaking of the same topic in his book 'Our Kuwaiti Folkloric Games', the late Kuwaiti artist Ayyoub Hussein said young girls usually did their part on praying for rainfall by carrying the Um Al-Ghaith doll from door to door, singing its song.
Hussein also noted that young boys also had their own 'rain song', noting that whenever rain fell, boys used to cover their heads and go out in the rain singing 'Teg ya matar teg', which went: "Fall, oh rain, our house is brand new and our rain drainage is made of steel...fall, fall, oh rain!". He added that even boys used to wander joyfully around from door to door singing this song to welcome the rain and pray to Allah to have mercy on his worshippers. - KUNA